Uruguay · Citizenship
Uruguay citizenship for Americans: how many years, and can you keep US citizenship?
Short answer
Apply after 3 years of living in Uruguay if your family lives there with you, or 5 years without. You don't give up US citizenship.
The rules
| Timeline | 3 years of habitual residence with your family in Uruguay, or 5 years without |
|---|---|
| Dual citizenship | Yes: you keep US citizenship. Uruguay treats you as a citizen but not a national, which shows on the passport. |
Checked against the law The 3- and 5-year rules, the voting delay and loss of citizenship, read in the Constitution.
Not yet verified The absence and Spanish rules, and whether every part of this timeline is confirmed at the official source.
Pending change A nationality bill announced Oct 9, 2026, and a witness-hearing bill reported passed by the lower house.
Good to know
- Habitual residence: proved with immigration residence and travel records; when the clock starts is Needs review
- Few long trips: a trip abroad of more than 6 months in a row restarts the count.
- Spanish: you must understand and speak it; no formal exam is stated.
- Two witnesses aged 25 or over at a hearing, and proof of your means of living for the whole period.
- Good conduct, plus capital, property, or a trade or profession in Uruguay.
- Fee: none.
- Voting waits: political rights start 3 years after you get your citizenship letter.
- Changes ahead: bills would recognise legal citizens as nationals and replace witness hearings with documents Pending change
Sources (4)
Legal basis and exact figures
- Clock: Constitución art 75: 3 years' habitual residence with family constituted in Uruguay, or 5 without, plus good conduct and capital, property, or a science, art or industry; age 18+. Proof via DNM residence and migration-movement certificates; not tied in the text to a residence-permit grant date (Needs review).
- Procedure (Corte Electoral): trips abroad over 6 consecutive months restart the count; understand and speak Spanish (no formal exam); two witnesses aged 25+; arraigo for the whole period; free. Political rights only 3 years after the carta.
- Dual nationality: no renunciation required in the sources read; legal citizenship is lost only by a later naturalisation elsewhere (art 81). Legal citizens are citizens but not nationals (passport nationality field).
- Pending change: interpretive bill announced 09/10/2026 to recognise legal citizens as nationals (number and stage not checked); bill replacing witness hearings with documentary proof, reported passed by Representatives 06/05/2026 (trade press only). Open: whether provisional-ID months count.
Every rule, with its legal basis
The rules
Ciudadanía legal (Constitución art 75): 3 years of habitual residence for a foreigner of good conduct with family constituted in Uruguay, or 5 years without, plus capital, property, or a science, art or industry practised in Uruguay; age 18+. Counts habitual residence, proved by DNM residence and migration-movement certificates and documents of fixed date — not tied by the text to a residence-permit grant date (Needs review).
Absences: per the Corte Electoral, trips abroad may not exceed 6 consecutive months, or the 3/5-year count restarts on return.
Language: applicants must understand and express themselves in Spanish (no formal exam stated); two witnesses aged 25+ at a hearing; arraigo (means of living) proved for the whole period; no fee. Political rights only 3 years after the carta is granted.
Dual nationality: no renunciation of US citizenship is required by the sources read; legal citizenship is lost only by a later naturalisation elsewhere (art 81). Uruguayan doctrine treats legal citizens as citizens but not nationals (affects passport nationality field). Pending change: interpretive bill announced 09/10/2026 to recognise legal citizens as nationals; separate bill to replace witness hearings with documentary proof (reported passed by Representatives 06/05/2026, lead only).
Not yet verified Whether every part of this timeline is confirmed at the official source.
Links
Citizenship in Uruguay, in full → The full Uruguay guide →
Questions people ask
How many years until I can become a citizen of Uruguay?
3 years of habitual residence with your family in Uruguay, or 5 years without
Can I keep US citizenship if I become a citizen of Uruguay?
Yes: you keep US citizenship. Uruguay treats you as a citizen but not a national, which shows on the passport.